Thermophysical characterisation of VO₂ thin films hysteresis and its application in thermal rectification

Hysteresis loops exhibited by the thermophysical properties of VO₂ thin films deposited on either a sapphire or silicon substrate have been experimentally measured using a high frequency photothermal radiometry technique. This is achieved by directly measuring the thermal diffusivity and thermal effusivity of the VO₂ films during their heating and cooling across their phase transitions, along with the film-substrate interface thermal boundary resistance. These thermal properties are then used to determine the thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity of the VO₂ films. A 2.5 enhancement of the VO₂ thermal conductivity is observed during the heating process, while its volumetric heat capacity does not show major changes. This sizeable thermal conductivity variation is used to model the operation of a conductive thermal diode, which exhibits a rectification factor about 30% for small temperature differences (≈70 °C) on its terminals. The obtained results grasp thus new insights on the control of heat currents.